Its mountain-like body looked exceptionally weak now. Its golden dragon eyes were dim, and its breathing was heavy.
Xia Mi—or rather, Jormungandr in the form of a human girl—stood beside Fenrir's enormous head.
She reached out with a pale hand and gently stroked her brother's cold, rough scales. Her movements were tender, but her gaze was impossibly complicated.
Fenrir let out a low roar filled with sorrow and resistance. He struggled to shake his heavy head, his enormous Golden Pupils fixed tightly on his sister, filled with pleading and refusal.
Xia Mi's fingertips trembled slightly, but she forced out a smile. Against her pale face, it looked especially fragile. "Don't worry, Brother. As long as 'Hela' is born, we... will never be separated again. Our wills, our power, our existence... will truly become one. Isn't that a good thing?"
Fenrir gave another low growl, this one carrying even stronger emotion. He laboriously moved one of his foreclaws, seemingly trying to push his sister away from him.
The smile on Xia Mi's face could no longer hold. She lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting shadows across her pale skin. Her voice dropped, carrying profound loneliness and a nearly imperceptible tremble. "I know... I know all of it. That was the promise between him and me... but now..."
She raised her head, a flicker of resolve flashing through her eyes. "But, Brother, isn't there no other way now?"
Just then—
Boom!!!
A muffled yet incredibly penetrating explosion seemed to come from an immense distance away, yet it clearly shook the entire central cavern. Even the ground trembled slightly, while dust pattered down from the ceiling.
Xia Mi suddenly looked up, the golden light in her eyes blazing. "What happened?!"
Fenrir warily raised his head, a threatening growl rumbling in his throat.